With Blockstream Swaps, users move funds between Lightning Network and the Bitcoin mainchain without a custodian, weeks after Boltz suspended operations.
Blockstream has announced the launch of Blockstream Swaps, a service that allows users to move funds between Lightning Network and the Bitcoin mainchain in a trustless manner, without transferring control of funds to an intermediary.
The service was already in development before the Boltz crisis – the non-custodial provider that suspended operations in August after a wave of AI-assisted attacks overwhelmed the team’s ability to apply patches. As Blockstream stated in its announcement, “this initiative was already in development to ensure a resilient set of tools for the ecosystem, and complements providers already active in this space without replacing any of them.” The Boltz incident and its effects on Bitcoin swap infrastructure were covered by Atlas21.
On the technical side, Blockstream Swaps allows users to use Lightning without opening channels or running a node: the user holds a balance in bitcoin or in LBTC – the native asset of the Liquid Network, Blockstream’s layer-2 sidechain – and the swap takes place at the moment of payment. The flow between layers remains under the user’s direct control throughout the operation.
Blockstream stated that the goal is to broaden the available set of tools: “It complements existing providers rather than replacing any one of them.” The announcement does not specify fees, amount limits, or public availability dates beyond the launch already carried out.
